Roof boxes are well known and commercialised worldwide. Roof boxes comprise a container mountable to a roof area of a vehicle and are adapted to store luggage, cargo and/or other objects (e.g. sporting equipment such as skis and snowboards). Typically, the roof box is made up of a bottom part for mounting to the roof area of a vehicle and a top part movable relative to the bottom part for opening and closing the roof box. Roof boxes may be preferable to an open roof rack accessory holder since they protect the items stored inside from exposure to adverse weather and environmental conditions as well as provide robust protection against theft and vandalism.
There are a wide range of different styles, features and prices available although roof boxes have become very standardised in design. In particular, typical design features common to many designs include central locking, double sided opening, quick fit attachment from inside the roof box, the ability to fit a range of roof racks and various styling shapes.
Noted drawbacks with existing designs included increased fuel consumption due to greater aerodynamic drag, styling constraints by existing manufacturing methods, the roof boxes are difficult and slow to attach and remove, and the internal space is reduced by the use of internal attachment mechanisms.
More specifically, all roof boxes known to the applicant utilise an over lapping seam design i.e. the lid overlaps the base. Whilst this is easy to manufacture and seals well, the styling and aesthetics are not ideal and the design causes noticeable drag. The drag also may result in increased noise when the vehicle is driven.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term ‘comprise’ shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term ‘comprised’ or ‘comprising’ is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of example only.